Building pyramids to help dispose trash

Washington, June 6 (IANS) A unique solution proposed by a Dutch engineer could take care of trash and toxic waste by converting them into concrete slabs that are then used to build pyramids. Writing in the respected journal Global Environmental Issues, waste management expert Roelof Schuiling has suggested that it is “dangerous and unsustainable” to simply bury solid toxic waste in lined deposits underground, the current practice.

These wastes should be solidified by a cement-additive mix so as to prevent toxic materials leaching into the earth and ground water, he said.

Moreover, if this solidifying material were shaped into slabs, they might be stacked to form a pyramid surrounded by a lined ditch.

“Such a system is sustainable, easy to control, and does away with the need for an extensive and ‘eternal’ monitoring system,” Schuiling explained.

He pointed out that a water-repellent coating would keep any leaching of materials from the pyramids to an absolute minimum, while periodic monitoring of the runoff could be used to control any potential hazardous leakage.

“These pyramids, erected in prominent places, could serve as a tourist attraction and become a source of income rather than a continuing financial burden,” Schuiling added.

Besides, these large-scale structures might be used as the foundation for buildings, offices and leisure facilities, particularly in flood-prone regions.

Either way, they would be monuments to the vast amounts of waste generated by the throwaway society in which we live.